


Testament's End

by burkoJames



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 00:57:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18000767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burkoJames/pseuds/burkoJames
Summary: In a future world bound to serve the theocratic government of the Imperium, one genius mechanic discovers the truth of their past, and seeks a better future.------This is a work I hope to develop slowly.  Ever since I wrote the Prologue, I've been trying to write more.  I can't promise that this story will be written, or ever finished.  But the prologue deserved to be seen.





	Testament's End

It all began in 2020, when an archeologist named Adam discovered some ruins in the center of what we call the Frozen Expanse. A lost local tribe and its deity were discovered. Adam, discovered a new school of thought at odds with our modern understanding and promptly abandoned archeology and began the study of psychology. When he failed to get his doctorate, he released his thesis as a self help book entitled THE TESTAMENT: Self-Enlightenment through Self-Truth. The book taught that the self was weakened through the falsehoods we tell. The path to enlightenment was, in shorthand, to first stop telling lies to one’s self. And then, to stop telling lies to those around us. It even encouraged people to stop telling the white lies we tell everyday to maintain relationships. The book took off like wildfire after a notable person of the time abandoned one of the old religions called Scientology, saying that the path of self-truth was self-evident. From his compound, Adam taught his acolytes to root out falsehood, and sent them into the world as ersatz psychologists. And so grew the Testament, a kind of cleansing where people would air their true thoughts and feelings and confront those opinions head on. After generations of people handing their prejudices behind smokescreens, people slowly began to understand their hatred and overcome it.

It wasn’t until 20 years later that someone decided to replace the old religions in the courts with a form of the Testament. No longer would you swear to God you were telling the truth. Instead, you would swear to “make Testament”. It was just supposed to be a small change. Its first use in a murder trial changed the world. It was the first time HE showed up.

Donald was the head of the local Mob. He was videotaped personally gunning down a dozen men. Everyone had seen the tape. But then, when it came time for the trial, the original was corrupted. None of the copies could be verified, their metadata stripped. The tapes couldn’t be shown at trial. And so he got on the stand, and made Testament that he was across town that night. No one could believe it. He would go free. Then the ceiling of the courtroom collapsed. 

In the center of the court, fell the wooden planks, hurting no one, and from the hole erupted a beam of light. Looking into it was like looking into the sun. As the light faded, A shape defended from the roof. A man, hair shining bright, HIS eyes blossoming with blue light, HIS skin golden and radiating a soft glow. HIS face was always seemed to be backlit by the sun, making you squint to make out any feature. HE was clearly muscular, but that was almost an afterthought. HE looked quite literally divine. Three spectators threw themselves to the floor, kowtowing to this Being. One elderly man, convinced he was seeing the End of days, had a heart attack. Everyone was stunned. Then, the Being walked toward Donald. HE grabbed Donald by the collar and lifted him into the air.

“You have made Testament,” expressed the Being in a voice which was both conversational and supernaturally piercing. “Now face Judgement.” With that, the Being lowered Donald, then swung him up so his feet were over his head, and smashed his head into the floor. The Being floated up through the hole and left, leaving Donald’s headless body on the floor.

The world panicked at first. They asked Adam what happened. Adam said he did not know. His teachings were based on an old religion, and that perhaps it was this god that tribe worshipped long ago, Zavesh. When no rash of murders happened, people began to calm, and more courts began requiring The Testament as an oath of truth. But every so often, during a major crime, Zavesh would come. A major witness would be killed. That witness had lied under Testament. No one knew why only major crimes got his attention. But within 20 years all capital crime trials were the same. The defendant plead his innocence or guilt under Testament, and either were killed by Zavesh for lying, or had plead the truth. Those who plead guilty were punished. And those who plead guilty when in fact innocent were killed by Zavesh’s unwavering dedication to the truth.

It was then that there came another shift in the world. Adam proclaimed something new had been discovered. His latest batch of students had been visited by Zavesh, and been given the power to see the lies on others tongues. He called them Justicars. Now it wasn’t just capital crimes that were under scrutiny. Nor did you need to be under Testament. Politicians were destroyed at rallies and press conferences. Preachers for the old religions cast out. The Justicars fought only with words back then. But the trust the public had in them was absolute. And it was our undoing. For among them rose Judicus. He called for the Justicars to have political power. And we gave it to them. Within 50 years they held positions of power all over the world. Within 100, They controlled everything. And that is when we learned that the Justicars had more power than just the ability to see lies. Judicus came out of hiding, revealing that he had not aged, and had secretly pulled the strings after his “death”. Most of the Justicars had supernatural strength, and couldn’t be hurt even by firearms. Judicus declared The new world government The Imperium, and declared himself Imperator. What could we do? They were many, and in control of everything. 

We couldn’t stop them then.

We certainly can’t stop them now.

\--The Story of the Imperium as told by Granny


End file.
